Blast furnace



July 3, 1923.

P. J. MORAN BLAST FURNACE Filed March 17. 1922 2 Sheets-,Sheet 2 Patented. July 3, 1923.

UNITED sjA'iss -NfT "DaF-Fica .PATRICK J. Morten, or EAST CLEVELAND,.0310.v

i :BLAST FURNACE.

4Application led 'March 17, 1922. Serial 110.544,612.y l

T 0 all whom t may concern.' y

Be it known that I, PATRICK j a citizen of thepUnited States, residentof East Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, andV State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Blast Furnaces, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being herein explained and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

This invention relates to blast furnaces, and more particularly to the construction of the throat portion of the blast furnace stack.

It is an object of the invention to lessen the amount of fine ore, limestone and coke which is carried olf with the furnace gases through thel downcomers.

A further Objectis to lessen the destruc-` tive effect of sudden surges of gas caused byy slips in the body of ore being treated in the furnace. y

Ay further object is toprovide a protective shield for the furnace wall adjacent the charging hopper Whichcan be readily put in place or removed from the furnace.

`Further objects are. to somount the shield that it is `free to expand and contract Aindependently of the furnace wall,toA provide flexible supporting means for the-shield to enable it to better withstand the impact of the material delivered from the hopper, and to provide detachable connections for the supporting means on the outside of the furnace so that in case theshield is damaged it can be dropped into the furnace.

rIhe annexed drawings andV following description set forth in detail certain means embodying my invention, the `disclosed means, however, constituting .but one.y of the various mechanical forms in which theprin-y ciple of the vinvention may be employed.

In said annexed drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a central vertical section through the upper end of the blast furnace stack taken/on the line I-I of Fig. 2.

Fig. l2 shows 1a horizontal section taken on the line II-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a ycentral vertical section through the-upper end of theblast furnace stack similar to Fig. land takeny on line III-VIII of Fig. 4 and showing a modified form of the invention in which the shield and suspensionrods are water cooled.

J. Mouarf, i

Fig. 4 shows a horizontal sectiontaken on line IV--IV ofFig. 3. .e

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view showing oneof the water cooled suspension rods and oneof the connections by `means of which water is circulated 'through the rods and shield. i

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view of,l a modified form of suspension rod. v

Referring to the annexed 'drawings,.the numeral 1 indicates theblast furnace stack which is of the usual conicalconstruction tapering toward the'top. The stack lis provided at the top thereof with the usual charging hopper 2 controlled by the bell 3.

Immediately below the charging hopper the wall of the staclcis of reduced thickness to provide a throat portion 4 of enlarged diameter. Downcomer conduits 5 and `Ibleederl conduits'l 6 of the usual type communicate with the throat portion 4 of the stack.

In theoperation of blast furnaces the large volumes of gas vconstantly leaving 'the stack at high velocityv through the downcomers carry in suspension a v considerable quantity of line particles of'ore, limestone and coke which are vhard -to remove ,from the gas and necessitates expensive cleaningr systems to remove. The enlarged throat portion 4 in applicantsfstaclr provides an expansion chamber where the velocity of Y the gases isreduced prior kto entering the downcomers, whereby the carrying capacity of the gases is lessened anda large portion of the suspended solid matter settles back into the furnace. The enlarged ythroat 4por*- tion 4 also servesto lessenwthe destructive violence of blow outs through the bleeder `conduits occasioned by slips .in the body of ore being treated. v.

Inorder to protect the wall of the stack from the impact of the materials discharged overthe bellV 3 from the hopper 1l and to deflect the materials to the center of the furnace, I suspenda cylindrical metallic shield 8 below lthe hopper 2 withinthe enlarged throat portion 4 of the stack: The cylindrical shield 8 consists of a plurality of sections 9 having outwardly extending abutting anges 10 detachably securedytotion of the stack wall. yI he rodsA 12 have kgether by means of boltsll.. Each' section nuts 14 at their upper ends which project through the top of the stack by. means of which theV rods are suspended. The rods 12 are connected to the upper edge of each shield section 9 adjacent the ends thereof by means of detachably connected links 15. The joints between the sections 9 are so disposed with respectwtoy the bleeder and downcomer passages that the suspension rods 12 arev positioned clear of the passages. The enlarged holesI 13 permit the rods to have a slight swinging movement which, together with the links 15 provides a flexible suspension for the shield 8 so that the wear due to the impact of vmaterial is decreased. The shield being spaced from the wall of the stack yis free to expand and contract under the influence of the heat of the furnace. Y As shown in Fig. 1 the diameter of the shield 8 is slightly less than the diameter of the stackk beneath the enlarged throat portion so that lin the event that the shield is so seriously damaged during the operation of the furnace that it is i'endered useless the nuts 14 can be removed and the whole; shield dropped into the furnace.

In vthe modification shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 the shield 16 consists of a series of sections 17 similar to the sections 9 of the shield 8 except thateach section 17 has coils 18 of lwrought iron piper cast therein the ends ofwhich extendv to the upper edge of the sections.` The shield 16 is detachably suspended from the top of the furnace by means of tubular rods 19 having a pivotal connection with lugs 20 on the upper edges of the sections 17 adjacent the ends thereof and suspended 'by means of nuts 21 at the top of the furnace. The adjacent coils 18 in each section 17 are connected at their upperends lby detachable fittings 22, and the coils adjacent the ends of each section are connected to the tubular suspension rods by means of detachable elbow ttings23. Alternate suspension rods are detachably connected attheir upper ends respectively, with feed and discharge conduits 24 and 25. By means of the connections above described water can be circulated through the suspension rods 19 and coils 18 inthe shield V16. By reason of the detachability of the connections, any .one of the shield sections can be detached from the pipes 24 and 25 in case the water circulatory system therethrough becomes impaired. ln case one of the coils I18 should become damaged connection can'be made across the damaged coil and between the coils on opposite sides thereof. l

In Fig. 6 is shown a modified form of water cooled tubular ,suspension rod 26 which is vpivotally connected to a lugl 27 on a shield 28 Vand is detachably supported by means of nutsk 29 on the top of the furnace. Within the tubular rod y26 is a smaller tube 30, the open lower end of which terminates adjacent the lower closed end of the 'tube 26. The upper ends of the tubes 26 and 30 communicate by means of detachable fittings 31 and 32 with feed and discharge conduits 24 and 25, respectively.

Having fully described my invention what l claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a blast furnace Dstack provided with a charging hopper' at its upper end; Yof an internal :metallic shield cylindrical throughout within said stack adjacent said hopper, said shield conformine to the internal configuration of said wa and spaced therefrom. y j

2. The combination with a blast furnace stack provided with a charging hopper at its upper end; of a metallic shield cylindrical throughout of less diameter than the internal diameter of said stack; and means for supporting said shield immediately below said hopper. j

The combination with a blast furnace stack provided with a charging hopper lat its upper end; of Va cylindrical metallic shield of less diameter vthan the internal diameter of that part of the rstack wall laterally adjacent to said shield, the latter being supported below said hopper; said internal diameter being lgreater than that of the interiorl of the vstack belowsaid shield, whereby an enlarged annular space sui*- rounding said shield is formed.

4. The combination with a blast furnace stack provided with va charging hopper Aat its upper end; of an annular metallic shield of less diameter than the internal diameter ofsaid stack; and means for yieldinglyalnd detachably suspending said shield within said stack below said hopper.

5. The combination with a blast furnace stack provided with a belland hopper atits upper end; .of an annular metallic shield composed of detachably connected sectins and of less diameter than the internal diameter of said stack; and flexible means detachably connectedl to the upper end of saidstaclr for supporting said shield within said stack below said hopper.

j 6. The combination with a blast furnace stackhaving a charginghopper at its upper end and an enlarged throat portion beneath said hopper of la concentrically disposed annular metallic shield in said throat. portion, said shield being of slightly less Vjdiameter than the internal diameter of Vsaid stack immediately beneath said'throat portion; and suspending means "for saidshield n including connections accessible from outside the stack whereby said shield may be dropped into the furnace.

7. The combination with La blast furnace end; of a concentrically disposed annular for supporting said shield immediately be-` low said hopper. y 9. The combination with a blast furnace stack provided With a charging hopper at its upper end; of an annular metallic shield of less diameter than the internal diameter lof said stack; suspension rods for support-- ing said shield beneath said hopper, said rods and said shield being provided With passages for a cooling fluid; means for connecting the passages in the rods With the passages in the shield, and means for cirv culating a cooling fluid therethrough.

10. The combination With a blast furnace stack provided with a charging hopper at its upper end;` of van annular metallic shield having tortuous passages for the circulation of Water therethrough; means for supporting said shield within said stack immediately below said hopper; and means for 30 supplying Water yto said passages 11. The combination With a blastfurnace stack vprovided with a charging hopper at its upper end; of an annular metallic shield' beneath said hopper built up of v sections, each section of Which is provided with vinternal tortuous passages for a cooling `liuid;

tubular suspension rods foreach of said" sections; connections between the said tubu lar rods and the passages of each of said sections; and means for circulating a cooling fluid independently through .they suspension rods and passages ofv each of said sections.

12. In a blast furnace, the combinationv With an enlarged throat portion of the furnace; of a shield cylindrical throughout suspended in said portion and spaced from the Walls thereof so as to permit of a reduction of the velocity of the gases at the top of the furnace.

18. In a blast furnace, the combination of an enlarged throat portion of the furnace;

a hopper above said throat portion; and a shield suspended and entirely located in said i enlarged throat portion.

Signed by me this i PATRIGK'J. MORAN.

21 day of February, 

